Supporters pray prior to the entrance of Senator Ted Cruz during his Welcome Home event at King Street Patriots on Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.
Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle

Supporters pray prior to the entrance of Senator Ted Cruz during...

Supporter Linda Weseloh gives a thumbs up to a fellow supporter as the crowd gets ready to cheer for Senator Ted Cruz during his Welcome Home event at King Street Patriots on Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.
Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle

Criticized by senior leaders in his own party and blamed by Democrats for inspiring a government shutdown they claim was a pricey, pointless and painful waste of time, Ted Cruz returned to his hometown Monday night to a hero's welcome bestowed by the tea party faithful who filled the headquarters of the King Street Patriots in northwest Houston.

The freshman Republican senator was greeted with cheers of "Cruz, Cruz Cruz!" and "Thank you, Ted!" from more than 1,000 supporters in a brief appearance at which he underscored his intent to keep doing whatever is necessary to undermine the "national nightmare" and "train wreck" that is the Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare."

"I've spent the past month in Washington, D.C.," Cruz told the overflow crowd. "It is terrific to be back in America."

As he did throughout the campaign that saw him demolish the once-favored David Dewhurst in the Republican primary and become an instant standard-bearer for the tea party movement, Cruz emphasized his independence from the "Washington establishment," which includes the leadership of the GOP.

"People are saying mean things about me," Cruz said. "Who cares? At the end of the day, I don't work for the party bosses in Washington. I work for each and every one of you. What they don't understand is that we're standing here together. We've got a problem in Washington. They're not listening to the American people."

Cruz returned to Texas over the weekend for a series of events in major cities. In informal remarks of about 15 minutes, he promised never to bend or compromise his principles. He chided others in the U.S. Senate for not holding fast and keeping the government shuttered, even past the debt default deadline, until President Barack Obama agreed to delay implementation of health care reforms.

"We saw the House of Representatives stand up and lead," he said. "They demonstrated a profile in courage as they listened to the American people. But they couldn't get past the Senate. The deal that was cut last week was a lousy deal."

While acknowledging defeat, Cruz said it was a temporary setback and that he and those who sent him to Washington expected a long fight. He did not mention the federal budget or deficit, focusing his remarks solely on halting "Obamacare," which he claimed was costing people jobs, a loss of coverage and increased premiums.

Cruz also took a swipe at the computer problems that have plagued people attempting to sign up online through the insurance exchanges that were created by the law to provide coverage. "You may have noticed that all the Nigerian email scammers have become a lot less active lately," he said. "They all have been hired to run the Obamacare website."

Cruz said the shutdown tactic was not a total loss, insisting the effort helped "elevate the debate" over the law. Stopping it for good, he said, would hinge on a grass-roots effort to win the debate.